What can I grow in a container?

[HillBill]

If you want to grow carrots then choose a variety that produces a shorter carrot. I don't think the very short ones are worth growing but there's plenty of stumpy ones. They do well for us in pots, the carrot fly seem to leave them alone as well.

One thing I have found is the modern peat free composts don't seem to hang on to the nutrients for long so pots need more feeding.

If you companion plant carrots with alliums (onion, spring onion, garlic), the carrots keep the onion fly away and the onions keep the carrot fly away. Marigolds are also a good protective plant to have around crops as they deter a lot of insects. And if you have a pot or two of bush basil near your doors, they keep flies out of the house.

 

[HillBill]

Yep, I’m not a fan of peat-free composts. That’s the only drawback of growing in buckets too - you need to keep a close eye on watering levels. I always drill plenty of drainage holes in the bottom anyway, but they can dry out quickly in a hot greenhouse.

Always better to use a mulch. Straw works well, as does shredded carboard or paper. Stops them drying out so quickly. They also rot down and provide nutrients, but fairly negligible amounts in pot grown annuals due to a more limited time to do so. .

 

[slowworm]

If you companion plant carrots with alliums (onion, spring onion, garlic), the carrots keep the onion fly away and the onions keep the carrot fly away. Marigolds are also a good protective plant to have around crops as they deter a lot of insects. And if you have a pot or two of bush basil near your doors, they keep flies out of the house.

Sadly not in my experience. Carrots in the ground here suffer from slugs as well carrot fly and/or wire worm. Onions, for some reason, struggle to root in our soil. (No idea why, sets will not put down roots unless there is a large amount of compost mixed in).

I like the idea of companion planting and mix in large amounts of flowering plants but it doesn't seem to stop all the pests. For example, I can plant one gooseberry in a muddle of flowering plants and herbs etc and the sawfly will find it.I

For us, planting carrots in pots produces a much better crop.